Dynasties and Empires - Gameplay Thread (End of 1521)

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

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xFrancis

x Manuel I

[Garlan Gunter]

Proclamation from the King of France on trade

The King of France is pleased to announce these following agreements have been successfully negotiated:

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xFrancis

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xFrancis

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xFrancis

x Albany

[Garlan Gunter]

Scotland is a small nation with no Cardinals of its own, but a favoured and loyal daughter of the Papacy. Pope Leo was a well-beloved relation and friend to the Duke of Albany, despite his enforced adherence to English pressure on some small matters in the last year of his life. In the end, on the vital questions of church reform, he made his stand and the accursed Emperor reft away his blessed life by means of poison.

The King and Regent of Scotland both have the utmost trust in Cardinal Giulio de' Medici to steer Holy Church forth.

James V, King of Scots

Prince John, Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland

[Orwell]

Proclamation from the King of France on trade

The King of France is pleased to announce these following agreements have been successfully negotiated:

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Christian II

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xFrancis

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xFrancis

x Albany

[Kingpoleon]

Sigismund I, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania

We, the Royal Majesty of Poland and of Lithuania, considered Pope Leo X a great friend and ally of ourselves. His purity of soul and character require that all men recognize his death as a great travesty, and we consider his saintly conduct an example to us all. The next Pope ought to be a man similar to the great Pope Leo X. Cardinal Giulio de Medici, Cardinal Innocenzo Cybo, and Cardinal Giovanni Salviati are all examples of men we would consider as worthy men of such a position.

[Garlan Gunter]

There is this day announced at Edinburgh the Treaty of the Holy Alliance, whereby Scotland, Yorkist Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France and all its territories, Upper Navarre and Portugal, the Algarve and King Manoel's overseas conquests shall all trade together with each other without let or hindrance.

x James V, King of Scots

x Prince John, Duke of Albany, Governor and Great Steward of Scotland

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

There is this day announced at Edinburgh the Treaty of the Holy Alliance, whereby Scotland, Yorkist Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France and all its territories, Upper Navarre and Portugal, the Algarve and King Manoel's overseas conquests shall all trade together with each other without let or hindrance.

x James V, King of Scots

x Prince John, Duke of Albany, Governor and Great Steward of Scotland

x Manuel I

[Orwell]

There is this day announced at Edinburgh the Treaty of the Holy Alliance, whereby Scotland, Yorkist Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France and all its territories, Upper Navarre and Portugal, the Algarve and King Manoel's overseas conquests shall all trade together with each other without let or hindrance.

x James V, King of Scots

x Prince John, Duke of Albany, Governor and Great Steward of Scotland

x Manuel I

Emperor Christian II of Scandinavia

[Garlan Gunter]

Further codicil of the Treaty of the Holy Alliance

By agreement among the princes of the Holy Alliance, any city, town or settlement whatsoever, within the Kingdom of England or that part of Ireland that still serves the false king Henry, that renounces its allegiance to him and surrenders itself freely to the forces of the Alliance, whether Scots, Danish, French, Portingale, Irish or English, shall be considered covered by the terms of the Treaty and permitted to engage in unhindered trade throughout the Holy Alliance's dominions.

Such cities, towns and villages will also be reprieved from the burden of the false king's new taxes with immediate effect.

We of the Alliance have no desire to harm or plunder the English people, only to revenge the wrongs inflicted by their unlawful and tyrannical monarch. The question of the English Crown is to be resolved peacefully by adjudication after the conclusion of the war.

x James V, King of Scots

x Albany

[Orwell]

Further codicil of the Treaty of the Holy Alliance

By agreement among the princes of the Holy Alliance, any city, town or settlement whatsoever, within the Kingdom of England or that part of Ireland that still serves the false king Henry, that renounces its allegiance to him and surrenders itself freely to the forces of the Alliance, whether Scots, Danish, French, Portingale, Irish or English, shall be considered covered by the terms of the Treaty and permitted to engage in unhindered trade throughout the Holy Alliance's dominions.

Such cities, towns and villages will also be reprieved from the burden of the false king's new taxes with immediate effect.

We of the Alliance have no desire to harm or plunder the English people, only to revenge the wrongs inflicted by their unlawful and tyrannical monarch. The question of the English Crown is to be resolved peacefully by adjudication after the conclusion of the war.

x James V, King of Scots

x Albany

Emperor Christian II of Scandinavia

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

Further codicil of the Treaty of the Holy Alliance

By agreement among the princes of the Holy Alliance, any city, town or settlement whatsoever, within the Kingdom of England or that part of Ireland that still serves the false king Henry, that renounces its allegiance to him and surrenders itself freely to the forces of the Alliance, whether Scots, Danish, French, Portingale, Irish or English, shall be considered covered by the terms of the Treaty and permitted to engage in unhindered trade throughout the Holy Alliance's dominions.

Such cities, towns and villages will also be reprieved from the burden of the false king's new taxes with immediate effect.

We of the Alliance have no desire to harm or plunder the English people, only to revenge the wrongs inflicted by their unlawful and tyrannical monarch. The question of the English Crown is to be resolved peacefully by adjudication after the conclusion of the war.

x James V, King of Scots

x Albany

Emperor Christian II of Scandinavia

x Manuel I

[windjammer]

xKingFrancis

[Lumine]

Bernardino de Carvajal elected Pope Martin VI!
Cardinals reject Reformist trend following six weeks of Conclave,
Pope vows to fight for the Faith in America, Germany and against the Turks

The aftermath of the sudden death of Leo X had left Rome in a very tense situation, the Cardinals gathering after a couple of weeks once those foreign cardinals who could attend managed to reach the city. Originally conceived as an internal affair of sorts in which the Medici would attempt hold the line against alternate candidates and possibly win by sheer force of numbers of attrition, the Conclave was soon to turn in an unexpected direction following the arrival of declarations released both by Emperor Henry and King Francis, the one condemning Luther for his views on indulgences and the Papacy, the other actually siding with the reforming priest, stating that the Pope had been murdered and promising an investigation.

Leaving aside the dramatic effects within the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France and with the Conclave allegedly not featuring financial attempts by monarchs to sway the Cardinals, only the first couple of ballots featured the expected dynamic as it became clear the Medici faction lacked the influence to overcome the Colonnas on their own and had been weakened by the rising prominence of the reform debate within the Conclave due to the perceived stances of Leo X in the matter. Indeed, although Henry's proclaims hurt his standing with reformers and Wolsey's candidacy only survived the third and fourth ballots before collapsing his prestige had been dramatically bolstered with the conservatives and even the moderate italians, many of which had been hoping for a defense of the Church by a foreign monarch.

It was ironically the statement by King Francis which drew ire and condemnation from most of the College of Cardinals - and particularly the Italian cardinals -, as the King's support for Luther was considered both dangerous for the Church and seemingly agreeing with the controversial renunciation of papal infallibility. Following low support for Cardinal de Lorraine as the would-be French candidate, attempts to then support the Medici faction may have backfired as their apparent reformist ties (which Cardinal Giulio de Medici repeatedly denied) became played upon by others. Still, even with the Medici weakened by the reform debate and the Conclave outraged enough to turn into a conservative direction no candidate could be elected for several successive days, an attempt to elect Cardinal Cajetan sabotaged by the Medici and  the Colonnas doing the same with the Venetians and with the prospective Hapsburg candidacy of the absent Adrian of Utrecht, seen as too reformist given the climate.

The final two weeks of the Conclave were mostly spent on a repeated deadlock as several attempts at compromise Italian candidates were sabotaged by either side, the Medici and allies sinking pro-Colonna candidates and viceversa, and while an attempt to elect Alessandro Farnese was speculated to have come within two votes of victory failure to gain additional votes severely hurt Farnese's standing. As news of further developments started to come and instill pressure on the Cardinals to elect a Pope soon, the unlikely choice that re-emerged as a papal candidate was Spanish cardinal Bernardino de Carvajal, the brilliant and ambitious diplomat who had both served as the Ambassador of the Catholic Monarchs (of which one of them was now Saint Isabella) and almost became pope in 1503, only to fall into temporary disgrace under Julius II.

With the Hapsburg cardinals standing in a much stronger position with the Italians than the French due to Carvajal's conservatism, the Tudor condemnation of Luther and the French reformist push, the Spanish candidate took off at the final series of votes, accessus taking place once the penultimate ballot showed him as three votes short of the two-thirds, almost as well as Farnese had done. Despite the vote being secret, ambassadors were quick to report that the Hapsburgs, Colonnas, Farnese and most of the non-italians probably were the ones to stand behind Carvajal at that penultimate vote, the last one giving him a clear majority caused either by considerable Italian defections or a possible arrangement with Cardinal Medici.

Either way, following six weeks of intense infighting and with most of the Cardinals seemingly determined to "protect the Church", the 65 years old Carvajal - his age encouraging some swing votes that the papacy might be short - became the third Spanish pope, taking on the name "Martin VI" in apparent honor of the Pope who had reunified the Church and fought back against heresy. Much remains to be seen on how this dramatic shift of power in Rome will influence the political situation in Europe, but Pope Martin has started his reign by declaring the need to convert the savages in America - thus seemingly legitimizing the Hapsburg war against the Aztecs -, fight the heretics in Germany - thus condemning Luther - and speaking in favorable terms of the Crusade against the Turks despite its early setbacks.

[Garlan Gunter]

The King of Scots congratulates the Holy Father on his election, welcoming the accession of a Pontiff pledged to the Crusade for Holy Church against the Turk. The Governor of Scotland expresses the pious hope that he and the Holy Father may work together to strengthen and broaden the allied cause of the Crusade, to which he himself is personally pledged.

James V, King of Scots

Prince John, Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland

[DKrol]

Henry VIII Tudor, Elected Holy Roman Emperor, Forever August, King of the Germans, King of Italy, King of the Romans, and Coronated King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Regent of Scotland

I, Henry VIII Tudor, Elected Holy Roman Emperor, Forever August, King of the Germans, King of Italy, King of the Romans, and Coronated King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Regent of Scotland do hereby proclaim my unending support and fealty to His Holiness Pope Martin VI, the true representative on Earth of the Lord Our God.

[Kingpoleon]

Sigismund I, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania

We, the Royal Majesty of Poland and of Lithuania, welcome most firmly the election of Pope Martin VI. May the Lord bless the new Vicar of Christ, the Holy Father of the Catholic Church. Unity in the church must now be first and foremost, and we call upon all good Christian men to recognize the authority of the Lord’s Mighty Servant.

[Lumine]

End of 1521

Anglo-Scottish War:
Hapsburgs invade Portugal and Milan, Henry VIII loses Ireland but cements hold over England, Constable of Bourbon revolts

The Battle for England

Facing a critical situation and the potential loss of his throne, Henry VIII decided the time was ripe to strike back at his enemies, and despite significant setbacks elsewhere managed to prevent a Tudor collapse in England itself. Although the institution of further taxes by the remnants of Parliament sparked riots in several regions and allowed the Duke of Buckingham to revive his rebellion across Cornwall, it temporarily prevented collapse despite the sheer unwillingness of several to pay the required sums. Taking command of his forces and recalling Suffolk from the North the English forces coalesced around the besieged London as Buckingham and his rebels joined the Danish camp, and with a failure by the Hapsburgs to ferry an army to England – due to the superiority of the French and Danish navy – the stage was set.

With Henry still possessing the advantage of numbers and the support of the besieged population of London it was left to the Danes and to Buckingham to attempt a defensive stand, and despite a brave effort it was the English who decisively carried the day. Thus the Battle of London seemed to temporarily spare the Tudors who what seemed like imminent collapse, the further revolt of some cities offset by Henry being granted the title of “Defender of the Faith” by the Pope, by the capture of Buckingham after victory and by the melting away of much of the Danish mercenary forces – with the unintended effect of creating large groups of independents raiders -, leaving the survivors to take refuge at Dover.

The Scottish-Irish Campaigns

Despite the weakened state of Lord Albany preventing him from being personally active – although he had the joy of his mistress giving birth to a healthy illegitimate son -, the Scottish Regent spared no effort to continue the war and weaken the Tudors, even as the remnants of the Tudor Fleet stormed into Edinburgh, blockaded the city and dealt harsh blows to Scottish trade and the merchant class. With the superior Allied naval forces – particularly the French fleet - eventually confronting and sinking most of the English remnants at the Naval Battle of Edinburgh (thus consolidating Allied domination of the seas), the Scottish armies marched into lost territory after Suffolk’s withdrawal, recovering virtually all lost ground and then successfully sieging and storming Carlisle, thus opening the way into England despite Berwick remaining on Tudor hands.

The Lord Protector was also more successful than other monarchs at keeping his military efforts funded – if barely so – through various measures such as the sale of knighthoods or titles, although further planned expenditures could simply not be enacted. More controversial was a renewed effort to seize Church tithes to fund the war, this time drawing the explicit condemnation of large parts of the Scottish clergy and provoking outrage in Rome as well. Although rumors have suggested Pope Martin to be struggling with a ruling on the Albany-Margaret Tudor match, it is believed by some these efforts may have pushed the Pope into being close to declare the marriage null.

In the meantime and across the sea, it was time for the Yorkists to strike back. Already enjoying superiority in numbers following defections in the English mercenary force and a decision to focus on raids rather than meeting de la Pole in battle, further reinforcements by a Portuguese landing and rising support among Irish clans bolstered the ranks of the Yorkist claimant, allowing him to overrun the pro-Tudor clans and claim victory across most of the island – even if most of the surviving enemy mercenaries have turned to banditry -. His personal prestige raised and no longer having to compete with the imprisoned Buckingham, De la Pole’s supporters gathered at Tara and proclaimed him both High King of Ireland and, again, King Richard IV of England.

Charles I enters the War

Following constant pleas by Queen Catherine of England and seemingly resolved to support his would-be ally, Charles I made the fateful decision to enter the Anglo-Scottish War on the side of the English, a much needed-reinforcement to the challenged cause of Emperor Henry. Even though diplomatic efforts in Germany stalled amidst increasing opposition by the Imperial Princes and the naval blockade preventing a Spanish landing in England, King Charles I took the field from Austria and led one of his armies into Italy, taking the French forces in Milan by surprise. Following a tough but successful battle against the French garrisons forces Charles entered Milan and seized most of the Duchy, a critical blow to Valois aspirations in Northern Italy.

More decisive was the decision to follow through with an invasion of Portugal from his Castilian domains, the Portuguese armies mobilized and fighting in Ireland or in Asia. Launching two separate armies into Braganza and the Algarve the Hapsburg forces dashed into Portugal despite a brave attempts at a resistance, one of their armies – even though several isolated areas refused to surrender – reaching Lisbon and placing the city under siege after an initial assault met with failure. With the Portuguese Empire seemingly suffering a crippling blow and with its domestic resources fueling the Spanish war effort, the situation was pushed further by the death of King Manuel I of wounds sustained during the unsuccessful assault, young Prince John being crowned King John III as courtiers debated on whether to abandon the city and sail into exile.

A Revolt in France

Having taken on a surprisingly pro-Church reform course of action and with policies aimed at tolerance, King Francis’s already controversial efforts were brought into further conflict upon a public statement for support of Luther, which while making Francis remarkably popular on pro-reform areas of Germany and even Switzerland – and among humanistic thinkers – drew both the ire of Rome (leading to the Spanish victory at the Conclave) and significant dissent in France as well, many resenting both the support for the “heretical” reformer and past decisions such as the inclusion of Jewish people into the Kingdom. This controversy was given a further voice when the King chose to side with the Queen Mother on the matter of the Bourbon succession, leading the outraged Constable of Bourbon to decide his time to strike was ripe. As several cities saw attacks against pro-reformers or the Jewish ghettoes the Constable raised his army and revolted against the Crown, denouncing Francis as supporting heresy just as the religious conflict appears to heat up.

Chaos in the Empire:
Pope threatens Luther with excommunication, Princes rally against Tudors and Hapsburgs, violence is on the rise

While not the scenario of battles in the Anglo-Scottish War thus far, it was across the Holy Roman Empire – and Germany itself – that some of the most dramatic conflicts of the year took place. With Emperor Henry Tudor busy waging war in England the Empire has faced significant trouble over a lack of direction, the Imperial Chancellor allegedly unsatisfied with the Emperor’s lack of input and his support for the Hapsburg seizure of Guelders, a decision which was met with condemnation by several princes and led to heated discussion in the Imperial Diet itself, just as Guelders and the Frisian region itself show increased instance of violence against Hapsburg troops. So far attempts to defuse the situation had failed – and it is rumored a foreign power may be rallying the princes against the Hapsburgs -, denying King Charles’s marriage attempts for another year.

The religious controversy has also taken on a dramatic tone as the election of Pope Martin VI cemented a more conservative direction by the Church. Strongly backed by most of the College of Cardinals to bring the heretics to heel and despite acknowledging potential avenues for reform, Martin denounced the statements of reformers such as Luther regarding papal infallibility in a harsh tone, ending for now the conciliatory policies of Leo X. The publishing of a series of detailed papal bulls outlining Luther’s “mistakes” or “heretical statements” seemingly galvanized the anti-Lutheran side, while at the same time receiving condemnation in large regions of Germany – and particularly by the Saxon Elector -. Luther himself felt compelled to reverse his past statements regarding conciliation, this time redoubling attacks on the papacy and earning himself a direct command from Rome: either to retract himself or face immediate excommunication of himself and his followers.

This series of developments has increased the level of violence across the Empire itself, the Teutonic pledge to Poland, the religious conflict and the controversy over Guelders all creating their own controversies and violent instances. Indeed, reports have already begun to talk of university students attacking pro-papal monks or speakers, of conservative authorities arresting outspoken reformists, and even more disconcerting, isolated riots by peasants in some areas of the south of Germany.

Colonial Expansion:
Military Orders advance against Aztecs, France holds out in the Cape, Portugal decentralizes efforts

Even though the growing war in Europe has forced most rulers to place their full attention into the conflict and how to react to it, further colonial efforts continue to be undertaken by several nations to both expand and consolidate their holdings. The besieged and threatened colonists in the Cape have received renewed support from France that has allowed them to hold onto the settlement and expand it in a limited fashion in what promises to be a bloody struggle with the native tribes. Despite the growing financial crisis threatening to collapse the new Danish colonies in Newfoundland, further explorations have created new settlements even as serious question arise on how to feed them. Portugal – before the disastrous invasion of the homeland – both redoubled efforts to bring the natives in Brazil to heel (in what continues to be a brutal conflict) and shifted policies towards decentralization by introduction of a Brazil Company, although the Hapsburg invasion has led to fears that the Brazilian colonies may collapse if not properly supplied from the homeland.

Finally, the Hapsburg attempts at expansion beyond Cuba have continued as the Military Orders have won a series of skirmishes and battles with neighboring hostile tribes, and finally won their first important victory against an Aztec army in the mountains through the use of firepower. While rumors that the mysterious plague may be extending further and that it has reached the Aztec capital – with an increased death toll observed by the knights - efforts at finding allies remain relatively slow, and the campaign promises to be a long one on account of terrain and logistics.

The Wars on the East:
Vasily III strengthens position, Poland and Denmark face financial collapse, Pope rebukes King Sigismund

The Polish Ambitions

Deciding to both crush the invading Crimean hordes following their sack of Southern Lithuania and to bolster his own power within the region, King Sigismund of Poland decided to be bold in his efforts for the year of 1521, bringing both important successes and failures on account of his decision. Abandoning the cause of Vasily to bring his own men back into Polish territory, the Polish King had the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights made good on a past promise, folding the Teutonic Order into the Kingdom of Poland as a Polish vassal. And despite the weak financial situation of the Kingdom Sigismund ordered no less than five field armies to enter the campaign against the Crimeans – including the Knights who remained loyal to Duke Albrecht -, a supreme effort in which Polish forces regained lost territory following a brief series of skirmishes.

Indeed, the Crimean Khan seemed to have deliberately offered little resistance as his men withdrew back into Crimean territory mostly unscathed, Polish forces meeting with serious trouble upon entering enemy territory.  Even if separate efforts by the Polish crown had raised additional revenue to support the invasion the deployment of the entire military was just too crippling for the royal treasury, rapidly burning through financial reserves until the invading force – which won its first serious battles against the Khan – was left with a problem to find resources. As the massive Polish-Lithuanian force began to suffer from desertions so did other problems appear for Sigismund as well, with the Livonian Order and a faction of the Teutonic Knights renouncing the Grand Master’s decision and declaring themselves free from Polish vassalage.

Equally distressing has been the reaction from Rome to the loss of what is supposed to be an Imperial-Papal vassal, an outraged Pope Martin and the College of Cardinals suspending plans to appoint one or two Polish cardinals and demanding an immediate explanation from the Polish Court.

The Moscow Civil War

Seemingly left without allies upon the departure of the Poles and the Teutonic Knights, it was a grim situation for Vasily III and one which appeared to be soon to resolve itself in favor of his brother. Alas, even though 1521 saw little to no fighting between pro-Vasily and pro-Boyar forces, two decisive factors appear to have dramatically altered the balance of power at the onset of 1522: on one side, Vasily’s gamble to appeal to Swedish rebels and exiles payed off – and was seemingly eased by Christian II’s decisions -, leading the exiled Lady Christina Gyllenstierna and thousands of her followers to join the Moscowite ranks to support the Grand Duke. On the other, the decision by the Crimean Khan as his forces withdrew from Lithuania to send several raiding parties and forces into Boyar territory. Already weakened by the Siege of Moscow, the Boyar forces met significant defeats and saw their new volunteer units damaged, leading to speculation that both Vasily and Yury may be evenly matched for the next campaign.

Trouble at Copenhagen

Seemingly at the top of his successes only a few months ago, Christian II had to experience a significantly challenging year as threats to his royal authority became fueled by a series of significant factors. While a decision to mix leniency and exile in Sweden temporarily stabilized Danish hold over the region – despite significant internal or passive resistance -, Christian’s critical financial difficulties following significant expenditures met with increased trouble as the redoubling of colonial efforts has failed to yield significant profits thus far, and the decision to levy taxes among burghers – while staving off financial collapse in Denmark itself – has delivering a harsh blow to the King’s popularity among the group he drew the strongest support from. That such news was complimented by the decisive English victory at London and the melting of the Danish mercenaries only made the situation more complex, and there has been speculation on the King needing a new triumph to turn the domestic situation around.

The Portuguese Crusade:
New allies join the Portuguese, friction at the Balkans, Surrey and Magellan expeditions reappear

The Portuguese Counteroffensive

Following a series of defeats in Yemen and in India, the Portuguese Empire set up its own series of efforts to strike back at the Ottoman Empire and seemingly regain the initiative, seeing the support of various potential allies outside of the squabbling European realms. Among efforts at courtship the most successful were the overtures to Emperor Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire, who was swayed into assaulting Goa and overrunning the forts and cites captured by the Ottomans on their previous India offensive – this while the Ottoman navy continued to wreak havoc and several Indian princes were persuaded to turn their trade towards Istanbul -; and young Emperor Dawit II (and fellow Christian) was likewise persuaded on attempting a daring invasion of Ottoman Egypt upon reception of significant logistical support. Leading a large expedition alongside his Funj vassals, the Emperor was able to overrun much of southern Egypt partly thanks to being supplied with western firearms, threatening Cairo and the Ottoman Viceroy by the end of the year and throwing the recent Ottoman conquest into chaos.

Naval Struggles

Despite the relative success of the opening stages of the Egypt campaign, attempts by the Portuguese to retain superiority at sea met with failure even with the deployment of naval reinforcements from Brazil, the Ottoman navy taking advantage of superior numbers to inflict a moderate defeat on the Portuguese Navy at the Second Battle of the Gulf of Aden and resume its constant raids on the remnants of Portuguese trade, thus temporarily closing off access to Malacca. Having prepared for a possible Ottoman raid into the newly discovered Spice Islands, Sequeira’s naval squadron met with a stunning discovery: European ships had been seen far up North, on a seemingly new archipelago of undiscovered islands.

A scouting ship sent by Sequeira soon returned in a poor state, having been on the receiving end of offensive fire. As the Portuguese captain explained to his bewildered admiral, the so-called “St. Lazarus’s lands” had been claimed in the name of King Charles I by Admiral Magellan. Reports from merchants and travelers in Southern China soon confirmed Magellan had not been the only one to claim some degree of victory: the Earl of Surrey had landed on a large island and promptly named it “St. George”, claimed as a dominion of Henry VIII.

Conflict at the Balkans?

As the Portuguese and their allies continued the Crusade on their own a potential new front may be close to being started following a stunning series of developments in the Balkans. With continued talks and negotiations with the Hungarian nobility on the defense of the realm remaining at a stalemate as the Crown sought alternate measures, a series of arrests have taken place across the border by Ottoman officials, who in the attempt to capture potential rebels or sources of trouble have captured several would-be Hungarian agents, which are claimed to have been setting up efforts to attempt to undermine Ottoman rule. On the other hand, credible reports of substantial military preparations from the Ottoman side have also reached Buda, leading to mutual accusations by ambassadors of one side attempting to strike first against the other.

The World at the End of 1521